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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013.0124.TCOM.Minutes • e TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE TOWN COUNCIL/STAFF RETREAT JANUARY 24,2013 �r Mayor Kavanagh convened the meeting at 8:15 a.m., which was held in the Fountain Hills Town Hall Council Chambers. Members Present: Mayor Linda M. Kavanagh, Councilmember Tait D. Elkie, Councilmember Ginny Dickey, Councilmember Cecil A. Yates,and Councilmember Dennis Brown. Vice Mayor Henry Leger and Councilmember Cassie Hansen were absent. Staff Present: Town Manager Ken Buchanan, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Town Clerk Bevelyn Bender, Deputy Town Manager Julie Ghetti, Community Service Director Mark Mayer, Development Services Director Paul Mood, Fire Chief Scott LaGreca, Assistant Fire Chief Randy Roberts, Municipal Judge Mitchell Eisenberg, MCSO Captain Joe Rodriquez; and Executive Assistant to the Mayor and Town Council Shaunna Williams were also present. Town Manager Ken Buchanan opened the meeting and discussed the purpose and goal of this retreat as being to discuss parameters in which the 2013/14 budget will be presented, the various priorities, projects, programs, services and issues in the upcoming 2013/14 annual budget, the implementation of the established priorities, and the budget calendar time frames that would be followed that would lead to the adoption of the 2013/14 budget. Mr. Buchanan reviewed the information contained in the PowerPoint (Copy on-line and in the office of the Town Clerk). He outlined the core services provided by each division in the Administration (Town Manager, Town Attorney, Town Clerk Finance Director, and Human Resources Administrator.) He discussed the Town's organizational chart and stated that the Town currently had a total of 57 employees (39 full-time and 18 part-time.) He noted that no new positions were being proposed, the pay plan included 50.51 FTE positions and that delivery of service was dependent upon the number of employees who can perform the service;, and a 2.5% merit increase had been included in the proposed FY 2013/14 budget. Discussion ensued regarding the Human Resource Administrator and the Economic Development Administrator positions as to if the HR position would remain part-time or was that subject to change, and if the ED position would be part-time; Mr. Buchanan confirmed that the HR position was to be part-time and the need for ED position was unknown at this time; the point that at a prior meeting it had been established that the decision on the ED position would be withheld until the Town's economic plan was presented; Mr. Buchanan's comment that the ED position may be more cost effective as a contract; the question if the vacant Parks Operations Lead and the Customer Service Representative positions would be filled; Mr. Buchanan confirmation that the duties of the Parks Operation Lead would be absorbed by existing staff(no new hire) and that a customer service representative would be hired;Mr. Buchanan's comment that the overall the proposed Administration budget realized a 21.9%reduction; questions relating to the Town's cost for legal services (Town Attorney and Town Prosecutor vs. Part-time Prosecutor); the fact that it's a challenge to control legal costs as it depends upon business activity and how calm it is in the Town; and Deputy Town Manager Ghetti's statement that the number provided for this meeting had been for a Part-time Prosecutor and that she would adjust it back to full-time. Mr. Buchanan reviewed the core services provided by Development Services and its organizational chart (Engineering, Facilities, Planning, Building Safety, Code Compliance, and Mapping & Graphics. He noted that street sweeping would be outsourced through Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) at the same level of service provided today. He stated that there had been an overall budget reduction of 9.6%. In response to a question regarding the Town only having one code officer, Development Director Mood stated that the Town Manager has the authority to designate additional code officers and had (current designees: Chief Building Official, Civil Engineer Inspector, Senior Planner, Development Services Director, z:\council packets\2013\r130207\130124rtm.docx Page 1 of 5 Facilities/Environmental Supervisor, and the Fire Marshal) although the Code Enforcement Officer was best suited for case documentation. Mr. Buchanan continued with a review of Community Services core services and its organizational chart. He reiterated that with the passing of Bo (Parks Operation Lead) his duties would be absorbed by existing staff and noted that there would be some cost savings realized that would be used towards pavement management. He pointed out that the Division's overall budget reduction was 4.1%. In response to the question as to why there was an increase in the community center's budget, Community Services Director Mayer responded that there was to be replacement of chairs, the podium and other equipment next year. Mr. Mayer commented that revenues were up 10%and that more was anticipated in the area of wedding bookings. Mr. Buchanan reviewed the core services provided by the Public Safety Division (Law Enforcement & Fire and Emergency Medical) and associated proposed budgets. He noted that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department contract was being negotiated and the amount of increase was yet unknown. Discussion ensued regarding if the Town had seen a reduction in jail fees paid by the Town; Municipal Judge Eisenberg's response that additional video monitors were being used to see people electronically in order to eliminate the need for their transport from jail to the Town for hearings, which expedited court service and reduced costs; questions relating to the Maricopa County Animal Control and Animal Shelter contracts and Ms. Ghetti's response that she would inquire about the patrol schedule and the number of patrols provided to the Town; Ms. Ghetti's explanation that the Town (not Maricopa County Animal Control) licensed residents' dogs as a convenience for the residents but also to ensure that dogs have current rabies vaccinations (a public safety issue), the fact that there wasn't any way to control the number of calls placed by residents to Animal Control (so a contract based on a cost per call would be problematic), that dog licensing had heavy resident foot traffic at Town Hall, and the fact that Animal Control was quick to respond to calls; the question if the Posse was transporting prisoners for the Sheriff's Department and Captain Rodriquez's response that a jail wagon was called instead, which then frees the Posse to help them in other areas. Mr. Buchanan reviewed the core services and proposed budget for the Fire and Emergency Medical Division. He acknowledged that the current contract would end in 2014 and that he would start contract negotiations with Rural Metro for services. Fire Chief Scott LaGreca reminded them that if the Town wanted to terminate service, they would need to provide a 1-yr notice to terminate to Rural Metro and if the Town planned to negotiate, a letter of intent would be needed; and Fire Chief LaGreca's statement that Rural Metro was interested in negotiating a contract with the Town. Discussion ensued regarding other possible options for providing fire service and the associated pros and cons; and the fact that Rural Metro owns all of the ambulances in the Valley and that they control the certificate of necessity (CON). Mr. Buchanan continued with the review of core services and discussed the proposed budget of the Municipal Court,which included the reduction in one clerk position for an overall budget decrease of 9.6%. Mr. Buchanan focused on the proposed 2013/14 Annual Budget and discussed the listed operational priorities: FY2012/13 Strategic Plan Goals, Priorities/Initiatives suggested by SPAC, and reviewed the FY2013/14 budget highlights: Pavement Management Program, Economic Development Implementation, Shea Boulevard/Saguaro Boulevard Road Project to be initiated, Community Partnership- funding located within the respective departments related to the extension of services provided, 2.5% Personnel Performance Merit increase included, with overall reduction of personnel costs by 3.8%from prior fiscal year. Discussion ensued regarding the justification and rationale of merit raises vs. across the board raises. 'to) Councilmembers present indicated an interest in looking at the across the board approach because of the smaller number of staff members. z:\council packets\2013\r130207\130124rtm.docx Page 2 of 5 Deputy Manager Ghetti proceeded with the Financial 5-yr Overview beginning with a statement of budget assumptions used: current climate is the new normal—razor thin available funds; revenue projections are estimated law using both a trend analysis formula as well as a flat percentage increase of 2%; no change is State Shared Revenues; maintaining the existing level of service (no new programs) or increase in staffing levels; use of a 2% inflation factor in departments, except public safety contracts, which increase by 4% in FY2015; Development of the Ellman property was excluded; the annual General Fund payment for the Community Center is eliminated in FY2015/16; and the TPT Construction Sales Tax Revenue was included in the projections. Discussion ensued regarding the fact that the MCSO contract is a"cost recovery"contract, so if their costs increase that additional cost is passed on to the Town; the fact that the vehicle license tax was no longer going into the General Fund as it was now to be transferred to the Pavement Management Fund; a request that it be made clear that Pavement Management was an operational priority and that the Town was transferring the funds from the General Fund to the Pavement Management Fund, which are separate and not part of the HURF funds received from the State; the question of why this fund was being called HURF when it included multiple revenue sources; the request to segregate the State funding(HURF) from the "in lieu" payments and other funding sources to avoid confusion; a review of the General Fund Revenue projections (excluding the Ellman property) from FY2012-13 to FY2017-18; a review of the General Fund Revenues and Expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 through 2018; a comparison of FY13 General Fund operating cost per 1,000 citizens (shows Fountain Hills at $.56 per 1,000); a review of General Fund operating revenues; a review of FY2014-2018 Projected General Fund Revenues and Expenditures; and a review of outstanding Bonds, and chart review depicting the number of employees over the years(FY01-FY14). Mr.Buchanan called for a break at 9:20 a.m. and the meeting reconvened at 9:42 a.m. Mr. Buchanan continued with the discussion regarding the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) noting that the balance was $9.3M and was limited in funding. He noted that the current listing of projects would require Council prioritization from the standpoint of build out. Ms. Ghetti confirmed that any fund balance at the end of the year was transferred to the CIP. Discussion ensued regarding the vulnerability of development fees by State legislation; possible timing of the Ellman property improvements and development; Mr. Buchanan's comments that it was important to talk about the CIP projects, the fact that some grants were involved, and that the discussion should focus on prioritization of the projects; Fire Station #2 and Rural Metro's contract with a possible change in the contract regarding required response time; the fact that the CIP project list affects everything although dates are not listed; the possibility that Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) might restore funding for hazardous waste collection so there may be an opportunity to add this back in; the fact that the draft Economic Development Plan would be presented to Council in March; the comment that brokers have Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) memberships and the suggestion that there may be a savings for the Town there;the suggestion that JumpStartBiz's funding might be bumped to $25K; questions related to premature implementation of the Economic Development Plan based on a statement at the January 3rd meeting that nothing would be funded until the Council decided what was needed; Mr. Buchanan's recommendation that a summit be held, guided by SPAC, to talk about Economic Development; questions as to when the Fountain Lake and Services Intergovernmental Agreements between the Town and the Fountain Hills Sanitary District would be brought forward, and the response that they would be coming forward in February and March; the fact that the Reclaimed Water Use Agreement with the Fountain Hills Sanitary District would be on the 2°d meeting agenda in February; Community Services Director Mark Mayer's overview related to Fountain Lake water quality analysis to date; the fact that the Fire Station#2 relocation project has a bearing on the CIP and that the there was a need for contractual compliance with the response times; Fire Chief LaGreca's overview relating to the history of possible fire station locations; the pros and cons of the various proposed fire station location options; the observation that Council needs to make a location decision sooner that than later as some of the options won't remain on the table forever; the question of if a fire station location master z:\council packets\2013\r130207\130124rtm.docx Page 3 of 5 plan exists; the comment that Chaparral City Water might partner with the Town regarding the cost of a road for access and they should be contacted; the thought that perhaps a metal building for the Fire Station as previously discussed might be an option as it was quicker to construct; the comment that the proposed fire station building vi) should also house public safety and the fact that$140K had been spent for a design to that end for the property on Shea; the request that staff speak to MCO about a possible property swap; the fact that the current fire station had value and the Town Manager's recommendation it should be sold; the Paradise Valley Public Safety Fire Fee and staffs recommendation to monitor their implementation of the fee and their residents' reaction for any liability or unforeseen issues;the fact that Paradise Valley had implemented the fee based on the size of the property and that it was not value based; the fact that Fountain Hills voters had voted down implementing property taxes three times and this appeared to be a back door approach,which sounded like a property tax;the Town Prosecutor: full-time vs. part-time costs,pros and cons of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP)for prosecutorial and any additional required services, and the fact that three Councilmembers have requested this RFP be placed on an agenda for further discussion; the status of the Avenue Median Project and its anticipated overall cost; how the Avenue Median Project ties in with the Saguaro Boulevard/Intersection Design and the Saguaro Boulevard Bond issue; a request that the Area Specific Plan be referenced as it also was inter-related to these three projects;the observation that this was a goal and that the Town might have to do improvements in phases; the Saguaro intersection, possible design options and their associated cost estimates;the general use of roundabouts at intersections and how and where they could be located effectively;the need for pedestrian safety;the Road Bond and comments stated that it needed to be clean without a roundabout; and various design options for pedestrians crossing at the intersection of Saguaro Boulevard and Avenue of the Fountains. Mr. Buchanan called for a break at 12:07 PM and reconvened the meeting at 12:17 PM. Ms. Ghetti provided an overview of how the Town has approached past allocations of Community Partnership funding and outlined an alternative approach based upon Cottonwood's methodology for "Building Better Communities"; funding criteria as outlined in the memo in the packet (Copy available on-line and in the office of the Town Clerk). Discussion ensued regarding the proposed method; the comment that this method was still subjective; the point made that this was a struggle each year as the Town does not have a funding process/criteria in place; the comment that other local groups have an indicated interest in seeking Town funding; the suggestion that the Town's contributions be pared down with various options proposed; Mr. Buchanan's comment that there needed to be a process in place and that there should be reductions made to partnerships' funding as had been done in the Town's overall budget as the Council's first priority was pavement management; the comment that it would be unfair to place the funding decision at the Manager and staff levels; the suggestion that economic development/tourism be separate;the fact that the Town's operating budget had been reduced over the past five years;the question of"what kind of Town do we want to be"; the fact that the proposed method was staffs funding recommendation for community partnerships; the point that staff had hoped to avoid a political funding process; the discussion of other programs that were co-sponsored by the Town through Community Services that included some Town funding; the comment that Parks and Recreation tries to do a broad range of programs and that the Town has control of some of these organization and that there were those the Town had no control over; the comment that the Town staff and government functionality came first; the suggestion that the funds be given to the local Community Foundation, as a way to take the politics out of the process, with a request for the Town to sit on their board; the point that one group used the Kiwanis Building,but the building was maintained by the Town yet the rental revenue did not come to the Town; Mr. Buchanan's reminder that this funding was public money and his concern that the Town would not have accountability control; the suggestion that funding for these groups/organizations continue to be pared down year after year; the suggestion that perhaps the Town could partner by providing groups funding opportunities rather than have the Town write checks(provide some type of in-kind contributions);the fact that the Theater building had to be used for a community reason and that the Town would still have to maintain it even if z:\council packets\2013\r130207\130124rtm.docx Page 4 of 5 the Theater was not utilizing it; the comment that the Theater was a Town economic component; the observation that the Town does not give funding to golf courses and they were one of the biggest assets. Councilmembers Elkie and Brown indicated they needed to leave and as there was no longer a quorum of the Council present,the meeting was adjourned at 1:05 PM. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By ayor Linda . avanagh ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: Bevelyn J.B _de ,Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Council/Staff Retreat held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 24th day of January 2013. 1 further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. Dated this 7th day of February 2013. Bevelyn J. ender,Town Clerk z:\council packets\2013\r130207\130124rtm.docx Page 5 of 5